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Bahamas I Bardados I Bermuda I Dominician Republic I Jamaica I Trinidad & Tobago I Costa Rica I El Salvador I Guatemala I Honduras I Nicaragua I Panama I Argentina I Bolivia I Brazil I Chile I Colombia I Ecuador I Mexico I Paraguay I Peru I Uruguay I Venezuela

Austria I Belguim I France I Germany I Greece I Ireland I Italy I Luxembourg I Netherlands I Portugal I Spain I Switzerland I United Kingdom Last year was a landmark for Italian banking. Foreign banks, led by ABN Amro, succeeded in making inroads into the country after much opposition, while local champion UniCredit overcame obstacles to secure Germany’s HVB and create an Eastern European banking champion in a rare example of an Italian takeover of a German company. The deal is the largest European cross-border financial institution M&A deal to date.

Austria I Belguim I France I Germany I Greece I Ireland I Italy I Luxembourg I Netherlands I Portugal I Spain I Switzerland I United Kingdom If you’re looking for evidence of the turnaround at Commerzbank, you need look no further than its share price, which has roughly doubled over the past 12 months. It has taken a few years but chairman Klaus-Peter Müller has succeeded in revitalizing Germany’s second-largest listed bank. He has been assiduous in his assault on the rot that has plagued the bank, cutting thousands of jobs and largely withdrawing from money-losing forays in investment banking in New York, London and Tokyo.

Bahrain I Egypt I Iran I Israel I Jordan I Kuwait I Lebanon I Morocco I Oman I Qatar I Saudi Arabia I United Arab Emirates I Lifetime Achievement As always the competition to be best bank in Lebanon is extremely fierce. Bank Audi has again performed exceptionally well but by the narrowest of margins it is this year just beaten by Bank Blom.

Azerbaijan I Kazakhstan I Kyrgyzstan I Uzbekistan Uzbekistan’s banking sector is getting into ever deeper trouble as president Islam Karimov’s increasingly repressive policies close the country off from international trade and drive the economy into crisis. Despite this, Ansher Capital still manages to survive and thrive as Uzbekistan’s leading investment bank. In the past 12 months, it managed to attract the first foreign investors into an Uzbek corporate bond. It is also looking to do a listing in the next year on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Bahrain I Egypt I Iran I Israel I Jordan I Kuwait I Lebanon I Morocco I Oman I Qatar I Saudi Arabia I United Arab Emirates I Lifetime Achievement After only two years under local management, following the end of Citibank’s equity holding and management contract, Samba is now in its strongest ever position in an increasingly competitive local market and is a clear winner of the best bank award.

Bahrain I Egypt I Iran I Israel I Jordan I Kuwait I Lebanon I Morocco I Oman I Qatar I Saudi Arabia I United Arab Emirates I Lifetime Achievement Competition in the UAE is among the toughest in the region and getting the decisions right, particularly in the retail market, is, as many banks have found, far from easy.

The awards for excellence season is always an interesting time for Euromoney’s journalists. As we consider the relevant merits of different banks and their diverse businesses, there is an opportunity to get to the real heart of what makes a bank tick. To do that, you need to see the leader.

Austria I Belguim I France I Germany I Greece I Ireland I Italy I Luxembourg I Netherlands I Portugal I Spain I Switzerland I United Kingdom The Raiffeisen Banking Group includes Austria’s local and regional Raiffeisen banks as well as RZB, the central banking institution owned by the Raiffeisen banks, which also operates one of the largest banking networks in central Europe.

Austria I Belguim I France I Germany I Greece I Ireland I Italy I Luxembourg I Netherlands I Portugal I Spain I Switzerland I United Kingdom

Denmark I Estonia I Finland I Iceland I Latvia I Lithuania I Norway I Sweden The choice of Danske Bank as best bank in Denmark in 2005 is relatively straightforward. In 2005, Denmark’s largest bank posted the best results in its history, with net profits rising from Dkr 9.3 billion to Dkr12.82 billion ($2.16 billion), earnings per share expanding by 42% and the cost-income ratio falling marginally from 52.7% to 52.2%. Granted, Danske’s earnings in 2005 were bolstered by a one-off gain of Dkr1.6 billion in 2005, but the impressive performance continue in the first quarter of 2006 when the bank reported better than expected profits.

Denmark I Estonia I Finland I Iceland I Latvia I Lithuania I Norway I Sweden Hansabank officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of Swedbank at the start of July 2005, and the Swedish bank has good reason to celebrate the inclusion in its portfolio of a leading player not just in Estonia but across the Baltic region. In spite of a significant decrease in lending margins brought about by increased competition in 2005, Hansabank’s cost-income ratio remained broadly unchanged while the dip in its return on equity has been marginal. Heightened competition in the Estonian market has left Hansabank’s commanding market shares stable, with mortgage, corporate and retail lending expanding by 82%, 50% and 63%, respectively, in 2005.